Sandra Lindsay, the Jamaican-born registered nurse who created history by becoming the first person to get the COVID-19 vaccine in the United States last year, was honoured by US President Joe Biden on Friday.

Biden presented Lindsay with a framed “Outstanding American by Choice" award from US Citizenship and Immigration Services for her dedication of taking care of patients during the pandemic.

In addition, Lindsay's hospital scrubs and vaccination card will go on display at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, the New York Post reported.

"During the height of the pandemic, she (Lindsay) poured her heart and soul into her work to help patients fight for their lives and to keep her fellow nurses safe," Biden was quoted as saying by the New York Post.

He was addressing a ceremony where he granted citizenship to a diverse group of immigrants to celebrate the fourth of July holiday weekend.

According to Biden, "Sandra immigrated to Queens, New York from Jamaica when she was 18 years old".

He added that: "Over the past, and I don’t believe this, 30 years — she doesn’t look 30 years old — she’s pursued her dream of becoming a nurse to allow her to do what she wanted to do the most: give back to her new country."

On December 14, 2020, Lindsay, a director of nursing for critical care at Northwell Health in Queens, New York, made global headlines when she was officially acknowledged as the first person to receive the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the United States.